


Dad, you're really bad at maths.

by BooksandKpop



Series: Soft Fics 9: Every SF9 Pairing (OT2) [10]
Category: SF9 (Band)
Genre: Aged Down Character, Child!Chani, Dad!Youngbin, Fluff, Gen, M/M, Parent Fic, Platonic Relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-14
Updated: 2018-07-14
Packaged: 2019-06-10 08:12:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,032
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15287418
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BooksandKpop/pseuds/BooksandKpop
Summary: There were a lot of things he regretted in life, but letting his basic mathematics skills flee his brain entirely was now at the top of that list.





	Dad, you're really bad at maths.

If you had asked Kim Youngbin at 22 years of age where he imagined himself in four years time, he probably would have said "rising music producer" or "professional choreographer". Never in a million years had the title of "single father" crossed his mind. 

And yet, here he was, sitting at the kitchen table in his box-flat apartment trying to wrap his head around the arithmetic spread out in front of him. His son, Chani, was five years old in body but much older in mind and spirit. They had been in the same position for almost an hour, Chani watching him expectantly and waiting for him to figure out the answer to the problem set. Youngbin wouldn't call himself intelligent, but neither would he have considered himself dumb either - at least, not until right now. When Chani had called him away from making dinner for help with his homework Youngbin hadn't thought much of it, he had helped his son a few times before with no hassle. The clock struck seven signalling an hour since he had started on the maths, and Youngbin decided that this was the perfect chance to teach his son something else instead.

 

"You know what Chani, I think this is a good time for a life lesson."

"Dad! I just wanted help with my maths."

"I know you did, but here's the thing. I was never good at maths, not even when I was still in school, so I'm afraid I can't help."

"But then how will I finish my homework?"

"Why don't we call Ms Mina from next door over to help?"

"Ok. What's my lesson?"

"Oh, right of course. Today's life lesson is; if someone asks for your help but you're not able to help them, don't be afraid to admit it."

 

Chani rolled his eyes and Youngbin laughed, but they both got up from the table and walked over to the door together. Youngbin was extremely grateful that his next-door neighbour Mina had taken such a liking to his son from the start and was always happy to help them out if they needed it. She smiled brightly when she opened her door to see them standing there, and followed them over straight away to give Chani a hand. Relieved, Youngbin simply went back to preparing dinner for the two of them - he had offered for Mina to stay but she was going to meet friends tonight anyway. It took no time at all for her to explain the simple sums to Chani, and soon he had his homework finished and exchanged a kiss on the cheek for her help. With a smile and a wave, she headed back home leaving father and son alone once more.

After they had eaten dinner and washed up, it was time for Chani to go to bed. It was a weeknight after all, so Youngbin began their usual routine of tucking him in with a kiss goodnight and a wish for sweet dreams. As he left the room softly, turning off the lights and pulling the door half-way closed, Youngbin felt thoughts reemerging from the back of his head.

What if he wasn't doing a good enough job with his son? He couldn't even help with basic homework, how could he look after him and make sure he grew up to be a good kid. Of course Chani was a great kid; smart and caring and extremely witty for his age. But maybe Youngbin was holding him back from being better. Maybe he shouldn't have agreed to adopt him in the first place.

It was a huge shock when his younger cousin showed up at his apartment in the middle of the night four years ago. She and Youngbin had never really been that close, but she was desperate enough to come to him with her newborn son in tow. Jaekyung was only 17 years old and had managed to hide the pregnancy from everyone up until she fled to the city to give birth. She had explained to Youngbin as they sat on his couch at two in the morning that she couldn't keep the baby, but she wanted him to be adopted by family so that when he grew up she could still see him. Youngbin was so young, struggling just to get by with his own living expenses working a crappy part-time job, but he knew from the first time he held the little sleeping baby boy that there was nothing he wouldn't do to keep him safe. 

He still lived in the same apartment that Chani was brought into at only a few days old, but he worked a decent job that allowed him to support the two of them. Chani had never once complained about Youngbin's work schedule, but still, he wished he could have the chance to spend just a little bit more time with his son. A loud clap of thunder startled him from his reverie standing in the middle of the living room. With haste, he prepared lunches for himself and Chani the following day and tidied up before getting himself ready for bed. 

Youngbin had ensured that as soon as Chani was old enough to sleep on his own that the boy had space for himself. It wasn't much, a small office space converted into a slightly cramped bedroom, but it was good enough. His son very rarely asked to sleep in Youngbin's bed anymore because he was proud of his own independence. But on stormy nights like these, Youngbin was more than happy to welcome the young boy into his arms and protect him from the weather raging outside. Maybe he couldn't do maths or help with things related to Chani's schoolwork, but he could comfort and keep him safe. That was all that really mattered.

 

It was a few weeks later before the problem of Youngbin's awful mathematic skill resurfaced once more. On a Friday close to the end of Chani's first year in school, Youngbin hopped off the bus and walked to the school gates to wait for his son as he usually did. He would never have considered himself the kind of person to enjoy harmless gossip before, but spending ten minutes with the enthusiastic parents of other kids in his sons class meant he picked up on a few things.

 

"Good afternoon Youngbin, lovely weather today isn't it?"

"Indeed it is Jimin. Perfect weather for your twins training."

"Oh now don't get her started! We'll have to put up with hearing all about the wonder twins remarkable sporting achievements when we come back in September."

"You say that as if you don't boast about your daughter's music awards at every opportunity Hoon."

 

The assembled group all laughed lightly. The teasing and banter between the assorted groups of parents was always in good fun and while Youngbin might not call them his friends he certainly enjoyed their aquaintances. Finally, the school bell rang signalling the end of the day, and as soon as the main doors swung open the group of their precious angels started filing out on their best behaviour. Youngbin had a serious amount of respect for Chani's teacher, the tall man somehow managed to keep his class of 21 wild children under control and always had a smile on his face. Like a typical father, Youngbin waved enthusiastically at his son when he saw him. Chani had a small pout on his face which worried him, but it was no time at all before he had the young boy up in his arms and could ask all about his day on their bus ride home.

 

"Hey my little star, what's up?"

"Hi dad."

"Oh, what's with the sad face? Did something happen at school today?"

"My friend had to go home sick at lunchtime."

"Oh no, were they alright?"

"I think so. Teacher Kim told me that his dad was going to take him home to rest and he would be ok on Monday."

"Well, that's a relief. Is that all that has you down?"

"Yeah, I'm just worried."

 

Youngbin could do nothing but smile at his son and reassure him that his friend would definitely be fine. He was so proud that Chani was filled with such a level of caringness at such a young age. They made it home just in time for Chani's favourite cartoon. The young boy sat happily watching it while his dad prepared a light dinner for the two of them. Even after they had finished eating Youngbin could tell that his son was still a little down over missing his friend, so he decided to do something about it.

 

"Chani, would you like to go for a walk in the park and get some ice-cream?"

 

Immediately the young boy's face lit up and his entire mood was turned around. Youngbin just laughed at his son's enthusiasm over frozen treats and so once they put their shoes and jackets on the pair began their walk hand-in-hand. It wasn't far from the apartment complex to the local park, and the weather was mild enough that Youngbin didn't need to worry about being caught in the rain. As they walked they discussed the most trivial of things, about Youngbin's work and the things Chani was doing in school. After spending a bit of time allowing his son to play around in the jungle gym section and burn off all his energy, he gathered him up and gave Chani a piggyback towards the ice-cream stand. 

 

"Dad, how many ice-creams could I buy with my pocket money?"

"Well, that depends, how much pocket money do you have saved?"

"I have 16 dollars! That's a lot right!"

"Indeed it is. What kind of ice-cream would you like to get?"

 

They each had already gotten their ice-cream cones; vanilla for Youngbin and chocolate with sprinkles for Chani. They were sitting on the bench opposite the stall as Chani examined the menu trying to decide. Youngbin had no idea why his son wanted to know how much ice-cream it would take to blow all his savings, but if it kept him occupied then what was there to complain about? About halfway through his cone, Chani finally spoke up again.

 

"Ok I got it. So if I got three large ice-creams and four small ones, then I could ask for sprinkles on three of them. Isn't that right? That's not more than 16 dollars is it?"

 

His son turned to him expectantly and waited with shining eyes for his dad to tell him that he had done all his calculations correct. However, Youngbin was struggling to add up all the totals in his head. He was really regretting allowing his basic addition skills fall to such an abysmal level more than anything else in the world. It was after a minute of clear silence that Chani sighed and shook his head before taking a big bite out of his ice-cream. Youngbin pouted and nudged the young boy playfully at the obvious tone in his voice.

 

"What are you sighing like that for?"

"Because."

"What have I told you about giving full answers?"

"Dad, you're really bad at maths."

 

It was said in such a deadpan voice that it took a second before Youngbin just burst into laughter. Chani laughed along too at his dad's expense, but Youngbin didn't mind. When they had finished up their cones and threw the napkins in the bin, they made their way back home before it got too dark. It wasn't until he was lying in bed later that night that Youngbin really thought about what his son had said. With a new determination, he vowed that he would work hard and improve his maths skills - even if it was just so that he could help his son with his fictional money-spending scenarios. 

And when Chani softly pushed open his dad's bedroom door, whispering that he had a nightmare, Youngbin simply bundled him up in his arms and kissed the top of his head. It was his promise that no matter what, he would protect his son and show him what a good person could truly be.

 

**Author's Note:**

> So...I'm making it a series.


End file.
